From the Boathouse: Ethanol, water don’t mix on harbor

Ahoy!

We are experiencing a beautiful winter for outdoor activities, and it’s very tempting to hit the high seas with your boat. Well, the warm temperatures and blue skies are nice compared to the other eastern parts of the country, but King Neptune is kicking up the seas off Southern California.

This might be the weekend for a great harbor cruise as the swells are four to five feet with a small one-foot south. The winds are expected to reach 20 knots and then, hopefully, drop to the low teens by Friday and through the weekend. The breeze will create one- to two-foot wind waves, but watch out for the occasional wind gusts.

Other good news for boaters who use gasoline-powered engines is that a bipartisan legislation was introduced this month titled the Renewable Fuel Standard Reform Act of 2015. The bill is in response to the failed Renewable Fuel Standard that is harmful to boats that have gasoline engines and fuel tanks due to the higher ethanol mixtures.

Currently, most ethanol blends are E10-rated, or a 10% mixture, but now, E15-rated fuel, or a 15% mixture, is being distributed to fuel stations. Additionally, I have heard from boaters across the nation that some marina fuel docks are starting to dispense E15.

Ethanol-blended gasoline can be a major problem to vessels’ engines, fuel tanks, fuel lines and fuel filters. This is particularly true for the majority of boaters who trailer their boats and fill their fuel tanks at a local gas station.

The ethanol is known to deteriorate fuel tanks and lines, and this is a serious problem if fuel leaks into the bilges. Additionally, ethanol attracts water, which is gumming up filters especially in the fuel water separators, injectors, and carburetors.

I do not know of any engine manufacturer who will provide a warranty on any engine that uses a mixture with over 10% ethanol in the gasoline. Some vehicles are rated to use E15, yet no vessels are approved to use any fuel mixture higher than E10. In reality, ethanol and boating do not mix, as ethanol and water do not play well together.

The Renewable Fuel Standard Reform Act of 2015 sets the maximum ethanol at 10% or E10; however, it does not allow for the use of corn to be converted into ethanol. The bill would require the use of advanced biofuels and realistic production of such fuels.

Therefore, it is time once again to contact your U.S. representative to keep boaters safe and for your Congress member to support the bill and remove the mandates to blend ethanol greater than 10%.

News of the week is that you have probably noticed the extreme number of ships anchored off the LA/Long Beach ports lately. Well, West Coast ports were partially shut down because of a workers’ slowdown due to an ongoing labor dispute. However, the ports are reportedly back in operation this week.

This brings to the forefront a question about the Panama Canal expansion and the effects that the expansion will have on West Coast ports, especially LA/Long Beach. The two ports situated side by side behind basically the same breakwater are the ninth busiest ports in the world if combined.

This is partially due to the fact that the largest container ships cannot currently fit through the Panama Canal. However, ports in the Gulf and along the Eastern seaboard are reconfiguring and making the necessary modifications to accommodate these larger ships once the Panama Canal’s expansion construction is completed.

So, will the LA/Long Beach ports lose a considerable amount of trade, and are the dockworkers in jeopardy of losing jobs? This affects the maritime industry in Southern California and will potentially trickle down to affect the recreational boater.

As always, just keep an eye to the weather for any changes. Please be boat smart and boat safe. Lastly, please boat responsibly and look behind you before you turn the wheel at the helm.

The original boating program, “Boathouse TV & Radio Shows,” has stretched from coast to coast for more than two decades. See the details at https://www.boathousetv.com, https://www.facebook.com/boathouseradio and https://www.twitter.com/boathouseradio.

Safe voyages!

MIKE WHITEHEAD is a boating columnist for the Daily Pilot. Send marine-related thoughts and story suggestions to mike@boathousetv.com or go to https://www.boathousetv.com.